In Coloma, CA, there is a famous Victorian house called the Vineyard House, which has been reputed to be haunted by its original owners for many years. The house was built some time in the late 1800s, and was used over the years as a jail, an inn and restaurant, and, as its name implies, a winery. It was also at one time supposedly the site of where some executions took place. According to records, the original owners who built the house suffered one tragedy after another. Several of their young children died, their winery was eventually ruined because of a blight, and the husband contracted syphilis, which over time caused blindness and mental illness. Because he became violent from being mentally ill, his wife had him chained to a wall in the basement of the house, where he reportedly died. The entire family is buried directly across the street in a graveyard that overlooks the house. Reports of seeing ghosts in the graveyard have also come forth in the past, but most of the stories took place inside the house. Ghost stories of the encounters where told by employees and guests of Vineyard House. One intriguing story was told by a couple who were staying in one of the upstairs bedrooms. It was late at night and all was quiet, when suddenly the couple was awakened by the sound of drunken men coming into the hallway downstairs. They were very loud and were singing and laughing and making a general raucous, so the husband upstairs stuck his head out the bedroom door to tell the loud men to quiet down. But upon doing so, he saw three men dressed in Victorian clothing ascending the stairs,and then they faded right before his eyes. Another story from a different couple who decided to stay at the inn was that something frightened them so badly that they packed up and left in the middle of the night. They reportedly refused to say what had happened that scared them so badly. The basement was used as a bar, and it was late at night after closing hours. The owner was cleaning up and wiping down he bar.
He said that there was one last glass at the far end of the bar, and as he was cleaning, the glass suddenly began to shake, and then it slid all the way across until it finally stopped right in front of him. He admitted that he had no rational explanation for what he'd seen. It is believed that the things that go on in the bar are the original owner who died down there while chained to a wall. Other things that have been reported are sounds of rustling skirts, and there is apparently an area near the kitchen that is constantly cold. A woman having dinner in the restaurant claimed that she was approached by a young child who asked her to mash his peas and carrots for him. Another scary incident occurred in the restaurant when a large chandelier suddenly came crashing down, barely missing some of the guests. It used to be that when the restaurant and inn were still in operation, you could pick up a pamphlet that gave information about the hauntings. It was a famous place because it had been there since the Gold Rush, and there were pictures of famous people, such as John Wayne and Dudley Moore, hanging on the walls. The hauntings were so well-known that the house was featured on That's Incredible! and Ripley's Believe It Or Not. Sadly, the house has been closed to the public for quite a few years. If you are ever visiting old Coloma, the site of the famous Gold Rush, be sure to drive by the old Vineyard House, and know that you are seeing a house that has been famous for its hauntings for many years.
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